Conveyor tracks and supporting means



April 14, 1970 J. H. M ELROY 3,505,951

- I CONVEYOR TRACKS AND SUPPORTING MEANS Filed March 22, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1w.

INVENTOR JOHN H. MCELROY ATTORNEY I KWWM- April 14, 1970 J. H. M ELROY CONVEYOR TRACKS AND SUPPORTING MEANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 22, 1968 INVENTOR "JOHN ,H. McELROY BY 6. Q

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3 505,961 CONVEYOR TRACKS AND SUPPORTING MEANS John H. McElroy, 14 E. Roosevelt Circle, Red Bank, NJ. 07701 Filed Mar. 22, 1968, Ser. No. 715,405 Int. Cl. E01b 25/22; B61b 3/00 US. Cl. 104-110 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An economical and simplified trackway system particularly for monorail trolley conveyors and characterized by ease of assembly, strength, interchangeability of parts and lack of necessity for special tools and machining operations at time of assembly. The system includes a supporting bar, a U-shaped bracket with a socket portion and a track member supported by the bracket.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION Generally, in the prior art, pertaining to conveyor tracks and track supporting means, the constructions are rather complicated and expensive and do not lend themselves well to rapid assembly and disassembly of parts as where a trackway system is being installed in a garment warehouse or other like installation.

Ideally, such a trackway system should be comprised of a small number of parts which are standard in construction and can be used over and over again throughout a large system and which can be put together in assembly by unskilled labor employing only a few simple tools. The prior art does not reveal such a simplified and economical trackway system and the present invention satisfies the need of the art in this respect.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION I According to the invention, a conveyor trackway system is constructed from sections of tubing cut to proper lengths to form transverse and longitudinal horizontal supports and associated vertical supports. These tubing parts may generally be provided in standard lengths. Rail or track supporting brackets are provided including sockets which are easily coupled to the tubing sections and sockets which receive anchoring flanges of the track. Simple set screws are utilized throughout the system for securing the various parts in assembled relationship and at the same time providing for easy separation of parts when required. Readily separable cross coupling members are also utilized in the system for connecting the longitudinal and transverse supporting tube sections in a convenient manner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view, with parts broken away and parts in section, of a conveyor trackway system embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary plan view, partly in section, showing the elements of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse vertical section taken on line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary vertical section showing a modified form of track support; and

FIGURES 5 and 6 are vertical sections through modified forms of track members. 1

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the drawings wherein like numerals designate like parts, attention being directed first to FIGURES- 1 through 3, the numeral 10 designates vertical tube sections which support the trackway system at the proper elevation from a ceiling or the like. These vertical supports 10 as located at spaced intervals along a main horizontal longitudinal support bar 11 which they support, the bar 11 being made up of tubing sections cut to convenient lengths.

The bottoms of the vertical supports 10 are received within sleeve portions 12 of hanger brackets which interconnect the elements 10 and 11 and serve to support the element 11. The brackets 12 include lower arcuate extensions 13 which serve as saddles for the bar 11, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 3. The brackets are releasably locked to the vertical supports 10 by set screws 14 in the sleeve portions 12, and the brackets are further releasably locked to the horizontal bar 11 by inclined set screws 15 which engage the bar 11 in diametrically opposed relationship to the arcuate extension or saddle 13 so as to provide a secure lock.

At the required intervals along the longitudinal supporting bar 11, horizontal transverse crossbars 16 of uniform length are connected with the longitudinal bar 11 and supported thereon by cross couplings 17. Each coupling 17 embodies a lower transverse sleeve section 18 which receives the adjacent tubular crossbar 16 removably and slidably. The coupling further embodies above the sleeve section 18 and at right angles thereto a saddle portion 19 within which the longitudinal bar 11 is seated. The bar 11 is covered and secured to the saddle 19 by a sliding and removable cap 20 including side flanges 21 which interfit slidably with knuckles 22 on the saddle section 19. No set screws or other separable fasteners need by employed in connection with the couplings 17 which securely connect the members 16 and 11 at right angles and with the member 16 spaced below the member 11 as shown at FIGURE 3.

The opposite ends of the horizontal crossbars 16 throughout the system carry detachable rail or track supporting brackets 23 and each such bracket comprises a socket part 24 having a bore which receives one end portion of the crossbar 16 and is rigidly anchored thereto releasably by a set screw 25. Each bracket 23 further includes an underslung arm 26 integral therewith carrying at its outer end in spaced relation to the end of the crossbar 16 a track supporting socket head 27 having a horizontal slot 28 formed therethrough longitudinally or parallel to the bar 11.

Mounted within the slots 28 of socket heads 27 along the length of the trackway are vertical longitudinal webs 29 of conveyor tracks which include integral transversely rounded track heads or flanges 30. The top surfaces of the socket heads 27 are preferably rounded as at 31 to conform to the cross sectional shape of the track flanges 30 so as to render the connections more stable. The vertical webs 29 preferably are bottomed in the slots 28 and the webs are firmly and yet removably anchored within these slots by horizontal axis set screws 32. The track members of the system are cut to convenient lengths and their ends may be joined at meeting pointswithin the socket heads 27 of the supporting brackets 23. In some instances, the track sections may extend continuously for a distance between several of the crossbars 16 with no cutting or interrupting of the track sections. As illustrated in FIGURE 1, the crowned track head or flange 30 receives and supports the rollers of a conventional trolley 33 having a supporting member 34 for a garment 35 or other article.

It may now be understood in light of the foregoing description that the major portion of a trolley conveyor track system may be constructed from a relatively few standard components which are easy to assemble and disassemble without special tools and without the necessity for skilled labor. The parts are extremely sturdy and 3 durable, lightweight and are suited for mass production methods.

FIGURE 4 shows a modification of track supporting structure. In this figure, a vertical support bar is indicated at 36 socketed within a fitting 37 and held therein by a set screw 38. The fitting 37 is bolted at 39 to the top horizontal flange 40 of a depending general C-shaped track supporting bracket 41 carrying at its lower end a socket head 42 containing a horizontal through slot 43 for the vertical web 44 of a track section including a substantially semi-circular track head 45 substantially identical to the' track head 30. The web 44 is anchored within the slot 43 by a set screw 46. The conveyor trolley 33 is shown in FIGURE 4 engaging the crowned track section. In all other respects, the invention in FIGURE 4 possesses the same advantages enumerated in connection with the prior embodiment. Set screws are utilized throughout the system to facilitate rapid assembly and disassembly procedures.

FIGURE shows a modified construction for a track section or rail 47 mountable upon a socket head 48 of a supporting bracket 49. As distinguished from the previously-described track section which could be formed by an extrusion process, for example, the track section 47 is produced from sheet metal by appropriate forming operations. It includes an arcuate or crowned trolley-engaging head 50 connected at opposite sides to opposing horizontal shoulders 51 which rest upon the top of socket head 48. Opposed vertical web extensions 52 of the track section extending at right angles to the shoulders 51 are received within a slot 53 of the head 48 and held therein by a set screw 54. From the standpoint of function or utility, the track section 47 serves the same purpose as the previously-described track section.

FIGURE 6 shows another modification of the track section, wherein the same is fabricated by welding or the like from two parts, rather than being unitary or in the prior embodiments. In FIGURE 6, track section 55 comprises a solid semi-circular head 56 secured by welding at 57 to a depending vertical flange 58 or web which is anchored by a set screw 59 in a slot 60 formed in bracket head 61. Functionally, all of the track sections shown in the drawings are substantially identical and may be used interchangeably in the trackway system.

It is now believed that the advantages and economies of the present invention should be apparent to those skilled in the art without the necessity of any further detailed description.

It is to be understood that the forms of the invention herewith shown and described are to be taken as preferred examples of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to.

I claim:

1. In a conveyor trackway system, a supporting bar, a bracket having a socket portion receiving bar detachably, a track supporting head integral with said bracket and having a U-shaped upwardly opening slot formed therethrough, and a track member supported by said head having a substantially vertical web received in said slot removably and having an upper track head portion resting upon the track supporting head of the bracket.

2. In a conveyor trackway system as defined by claim 1, and set screw means securing said bar within said socket portion and securing said vertical web within said slot.

3. In a conveyor trackway system as defined by claim 1, and wherein said track member is of unitary construction and said track head portion is transversely arcuate and the top of the track supporting head is also transversely arcuate to conform to the cross-sectional shape of the track head portion.

4. In a conveyor trackway system as defined by claim 1, and wherein said supporting bar isa transverse horizontal bar of the trackway system and said bracket is carried by the end of said bar with the socket portion of the bracket receiving the end portion of the bar, and a generally U-shaped arm interconnecting the socket portion v and track supporting head of the bracket, whereby the track member is spaced from the end of the bar.

5. In a conveyor trackway system as defined by claim 1 and wherein the track member is unitary and constructed of sheet material formed to provide a transversely arcuate crown on the top of the track member, horizontal shoulders below said crown engageable with the top of the track supporting head, and a pair of abutting depending web sections below said shoulders and received within the slot of the track supporting head.

-6. In a conveyor trackway system as defined by claim 1, and wherein the track member is of two part construction comprising a rounded track head and a depending substantially vertical web rigid with said head at the transverse center thereof.

7. In a conveyor trackway system as defined by claim 1, and wherein said supporting bar is a transverse horizontal bar of said system, a longitudinal bar crossing said supporting bar in a plane spaced from said supporting bar and a separable coupling including perpendicular sleeve portions interconnecting said supporting and longitudinal bars and securing them in fixed crossing relationship in said system.

8. In a conveyor trackway system as defined by claim 7, and at least one substantially vertical supporting bar for the longitudinal bar, and a bracket interconnecting the vertical bar and longitudinal bar including a sleeve portion receiving the vertical bar and a generally C-shaped saddle portion embracing the longitudinal bar, and a pair of set screws in said bracket contacting said vertical and longitudinal bars and releasably anchoring them to the bracket.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 261,316 7/1882 Davies 104110 3,072,072 1/ 1963 McDonough 104-l 10 3,141,556 7/ 1964 Klosterman 211-182 X FOREIGN PATENTS 457,573 11/ 1928 Germany.

485,377 10/ 1929 Germany.

TRYGVE M. BLIX, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 104l89 

